What's the deal with squibs and cats?

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It seems that all squibs are given magical cats. Not only that, they have human names. Could it be that squibs are given registered animagi?

Pros of theory:
Harry has always thought Mrs. Norris had powers.

Mr. Tibbles and Mrs. Norris. Do those not sound like human names?

Cons of theory:

There are only 7 (I think) registered animagi this century, and McGonagall's one of them. Can there really be that few squibs.(Maybe. Didn't Ron say it was pretty rare?)

Are Squibs even registered with the minestry? Figg said something to the effect that they weren't.

Anyone have anything to add?

I don't think they're registered because during "The Hearing" Madam Bones says something about there being only one registered wizard in Little Whinging and thats Harry Potter.

I think they're maybe something like seeing eye dogs for the non-magical.

Good for you for making the connection, Timmy! I never thought of that!

I don't think they are registered either. There is talk of the Ministry looking into Figg's claim of being a squib.

I don't think they're registered because during "The Hearing" Madam Bones says something about there being only one registered wizard in Little Whinging and thats Harry Potter.

Squib and wizard are two different titles though. Arabella isn't a witch, she's a squib. So that explains why she wasn't listed. ;)

Couldn't they be unregistered? I mean it is more common than we think at least 4 unregistered ones. James, Sirius, Peter, and Rita. Who knows?

Originally posted by Inkwolf (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=390857#post390857))
I think they're maybe something like seeing eye dogs for the non-magical.

Good for you for making the connection, Timmy! I never thought of that!


Very good idea! And very plausible. I love the idea of Inkwolf's.
I am not sure of them being an animagi but possibly a kneazle or a familiar.

Someone on a dutch forum mentioned something funny:


Filch and Figg are both Squibs.

They both love cats.
They both call their cats 'Mr. Something' or 'Mrs. Something'
They both use their cats to warn them.


Isn't this very coincedental? What do you think about it?

Weeeeeeeird! Shall they get together? LoL

But wow...those are very good points. I think it means something, I don't think it's simply coincidential. Maybe it doesn't mean something huge, but it's something.......

And have you noticed that they're both a little bitter? I mean, Mrs. Figg could have been nicer, (though we know there's a reason why she was making Harry's time misearable everytime he came to stay with her) but she still hit that dude with a bag of cat food. LoL

Maybe they are realated?

Though I have to say Filch is much worser. Mrs. Figg was part of the Order and she has her reasons to make Harry miserable when he was young. But Filch, on the other hand hooks up with Umbridge.

Ohhhhhhh yeah. Pfff, let's leave Filch out in the cold then.

But here's what I'm confused about, why do you think Filch stays in Hogwarts? (I think the reason of him not having a place to stay is just to easy.) I mean, he believes that Umbridge had the best intentions for the school for the time she ran it, then why does Filch stick around? Y'know? (I'm sorry for the little off-topicness).

Perhaps Filch never learned any muggle skills, and would be helpless if thrown out in the muggle world. And a wizard as equally evil caretaker wouldn't be very nice for the students.

After reading OotP, especially the parts with Mrs. Figg, I think that Squibs have this weird connection with cats. Mrs. Norris alerts Filch of wrongdoing students and Mr. Tibbles alerts Mrs. Figg of Mundungus leaving early. Maybe cats are more important than we all think...

im not sure i think i just always assumed that as witches and wizards in my opinion assumed cats had powers, the squibs kept them to make them feel more related to, in contact with and a part of the magical world.

Dont think this subject is up yet in the book 5 forum. I'm rereading OoTP now and I noticed Mrs. Norris probably somehow telling Filch Harry went to the owlery...

Is this just because Filch works for Umbridge or is there more to it? Could Filch be working for Voldemort?? In previous books it was suggested Mrs. Norris could see through invisibility cloaks... what does it say about how Mrs. Norris and Filch communicate?

I have the feeling Mrs. Norris will somehow be really important in one of the upcoming books!

Any suggestions from any of you?

I don't think that is of any real importance although it might come up in future books...

What I think happened is that Umbridge wanted to stop Harry sending his letter so she sent Mrs Norris up there and then told Filch that Harry was ordering dungbombs to get his letter.

Well, Filch does complain about Dumbledore's lenience or indifference towards students who disregards school rules... Dombledore always makes fun of Filch's list of firbiddem items...

Maybe Filch does obey the Headmaster, but he was ever so glad to see Umbridge to control the school and let him to punish the students. I know it's obsurd, but why does it remind me of a "grunted House-elf..."?

Well well..
Doumbledore has always thought that some tricks and amusements are allowed at school... Filch who is a squib probably hates all the people who are about 40 years younger than him and knows more about magic than he. So I suppose he wants to punish them as well?

Filch is a man who has lived under the constant mockery of the students, who disobey the rules and laugh at him, and he shows his dark side when he has the opportunity to punish a student, he enjoys doing that. And he is also jealous because he's a squib. With Umbridge, there were a lot of punishements and chases, and Filch clearly liked that. But I doubt he works for Voldemort.

I think Filchs loyalty to Dumbledore is under suspicion as he thinks Umbridge is the best thing to happen to Hogwarts.

I wonder why as only a squib Mrs Figg was entrusted with watching over Harry as she wouldnt have been much use had he been attacked.

This struck me as im re-reading the book - how does mr tibbles, Figgs cat, communicate with her?
Shes a squib, just like Filch, so how do both their cats communicate with their owners? - it cant be anything magical.
Maybe cats are just very intelligently bred in the magical world, but even so - any theories would be great to read :) Do we think this will be revealed in future books?

Very interesting, I was wondering how cats can talk to squibs myself. Have you noticed that both squibs cats are called Mr or Mrs something are are the opposite sex of the owner. (Mrs Norris Mr Tibbles) Also how did Crookshanks communicate with sirius in PoA? Possibly it's a sort of Lassie or Skippy thing where they do a kind of sign -language. Nah...just kidding. But it is an interesting point.

i'd never thought of that before. its an interesting point. ooh, good one, you've got me thinking now....maybe the cats forge some sort of supernatural telepathic link between them and their owners....;D

Hey that's really interesting, I didn't think about that!!? Maybe it's the kind of Phillip Pullman daemon thing where they had a daemon for their soul and its the oppsite sex of them. Maybe it's kinda the same idea

Veritaserum

Yehh thats an idea - maybe they used to be people? it seemed particularly clear with mrs figg and mr tibbles that the cat knew EXACTLY what he had to do, no mistake about that

it's cause mrs. norris, mr. tibbles and crookshanks aren't cats at all, they're kneazles. i didn't know what those were, either, until i stumbled across a mention of them at the harry potter lexicon. it turns out a kneazle is like a cat, but smarter and stuff. it's from that fantastic beasts book or whatever.

explains a little.

andy

ahhh thanx andy :) that does explain quite a bit - i think id like a kneazle cat, as theyve gotta be pretty **** intelligent!

possibly, it explains how Mrs Norris is attracted to rule breakers as they detect evil. Yet I defenately think crookshanks is one and I want to know whats with the cat because I'm sick of thr "crookshanks is everything but a cat" rumours! The kneazle rumour has been around a long time though, since the fantastic beasts book has been out.

I just think cats have magical properties though. A bit like rats.

Yeah - the animagus theory is interesting, but i dont think its very realistic. Rowling seems to know people will read into it - she described mundungus as almost a kind of human crookshanks lol theres a lot of similarities but she mustve guessed thered be speculation as she wrote about crookshanks coming out from under the table while mundungus was in the room, disspelling this theory :)

I made a similar thread. Check it out.

JKR said there's more the cats in the book than meets the eye, so hopefully she'll explain more about them in later books.

i dont think squibs have cats that are animagi. what kind of grown wizard would want to follow a grown wizard or witch around. maybe the squbs just get cats that are more magical like knezals but not animagi.

this relationship between cats and squibs maybe the abilty to listen to a cat... this would explain why each squib has a cat as basically a second set of eyes

There does seem to be a connection. If Aunt Petunia gets a cat, I'll pay more attention to the theory that she is a squib. ;)

what a great thread! one more note for the Figg/Filch connection: the initials, AF: Arabella Figg/Argus Filch.

The initials could be more than coincidence, but I don't know. Squibs do seem to bond strangely with their cats as if those relationships are the sole repository of the magical power that they inherited.

Or maybe Dumbledor placed a spell on her house in that there would aways be one cat with extra "powers" to help her keep an eye on Harry.

It could be Dumbledore's doing, but both Squibs we've seen have very special relationships with their cats and the relationships seem to function the same way. Originally, I thought Mrs. Norris was how she was becasue Argus needed a special type of cat as an assistant in order to be an effective caretaker for the school. But Mrs. Figg has had multiple cats and, if Mr. Tibbles is any indication, they have the same sort of attachment to her that Norris has to Filch. So, I'm wondering, as are some other people if this is a special Squib characteristic. We'd need a wider selection of Squibs to make a more definitive study, but I'm not sure we'll get the chance.

In Book I, we're told that Mrs. Figg makes Harry look at pictures of all the cats she has ever owned, and their names are given as Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty. Now Tibbles is Mr. Tibbles, and it seems like a small inconsistency, but why?

I wish we had been in a Care of Magical Creatures Lesson on kneazles, don't you?

As cool as the Kneazle theory is, it is also possible that noraml cats have intelligence and abilities that are not perceived by muggles. It it were not for Crookshanks i would say the bond was cat/squip. Owls are the same way. All of the ones we see delivery mail appear much more intelligence then garden variety owls, but we know of no special magical breeds. My guess is that some species of 'normal' animals are only normal to muggles and much more in concert with wizards.

Well, if Crookshanks has any sort of magical ability to talk to Hermione, he certainly hasn't used it to anyone's advantage. One would think he would want to expose Pettigrew in a more direct fashion than silly cat and mouse games.

Maybe some people can talk to kitties like Voldemort and Harry can talk to snakes.

Well its interesting because Squibs aren't entirely devoid of all things magic.
They still have familars.

It seems likely that both Argus Filch and Arabella Figg's "cats" are Kneazles, which have "an uncanny ability to detect unsavoury or suspicious characters" (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them). For Filch, this means rulebreakers at Hogwarts, and for Figg this means any threat to Harry. But I LOVE the idea that cats/kneazles serve as "seeing-eye dogs" for the magically impaired!

There's really not any proof Umbridge was directly working for Voldemort [just helping him out unconciously] so the answer is no.
He'd be illiminated for being a Squib and I don't think he'd forget that for a few extra powers in the school.

Volkert: I don't think Mrs. Norris is going to have an important role in the coming books, she had her bit in Chamer of Secrets when she was petrified. Neither Mr. Filch or Mrs. Norris are very interesting characters anyway, in my opinion.

Well, neither Norris nor Filch have had an important part in the books, so I also doubt they'll have a big role in the next books. They'll be around, that's for sure. FIlch may not be content with Dumbledore's return but he'll stay.

JKR gives her animals an amazing array of human or even super-human capabilities (e.g. Owls that understand English and know the location of everybody in the world; cats that seem to understand intentions and can communicate that to their owners). In scabber's case he was a human, but as for Mrs Norris and Crookshanks it remains to be seen. Sometimes a cat is just a cat.

well... I got to hand it to that cat... she knows what's going on.... I mean okay, the dungbomb-letter incident was obvious her informing filch (who reported things to umbridge), but this also clears up how umbridge would have known the weasley-children were out of bed when arthur weasley was attacked... I wondered how she could have known that (I wouldn't have mind witnissing the scene of mcGonnegal heading umbridge off)... Mrs Norris would have seen McGonnegal with the rest of the weasley children out of bed heading for dumbledore's office... to judge by umbridge quick knowledge of this would have meant however that Mrs Norris went straight to umbridge to report....

by the way... how do cats (Mrs Norris and Mr Tibbles (wouldn't they make a cute pair ;) ) report to their owners etc... ?

Well Crookshanks is a semi-Kneazle so that might explain his inteligence, but I'm not sure about Mrs. Norris, she may be just a very intelligent cat. Filch must have trained her to spy on people...

like Mr tibbles does for mrs figg...

I really think there is more about Mrs. Norris and Mr. Tibbles than meets the eye. Both of them obviously report back to their owners in some way, so why would JK mention both of them doing this if there was nothing special about them?

Here is a really weird idea. Both Filch and Figg (hmm both "F" names) are squibs, so maybe squibs who work with or around wizards all the time get a specially trained cat. Kind of my equivalent of the wizarding worlds "seeing eye dogs."

I like it !!!! I was thinking around those lines myself... but maybe with the limitatin that only dumbledore's "friends" who are squibs get trained cats, because else the ministry would have known more about mrs figg...

Squibs. There is something there. I can feel it, Squibs are not put in HP just because.

I noticed this yesterday. We know of two Squibs, Arabella Figg and Argus Filch. Notice anything there? AR abella FIgg and AR gus FI lch. Their names are very similar. Does that mean anything?

Also, both have strangly human-like cats named Mrs. Norris and Mr. Tibbles. We've already seen that Mrs. Norris is extremely wierd, and definitely isn't all cat, if you know what I mean. She spies and reports to Filch... also, Mrs. Figgs cat, Mr. Tibbles, was apparently keeping watch underneath a car. Now how can cats keep watch? Because cats obviously have a special power.

Oh yes, and keep in mind the cats names... Mr. and Mrs... and Filch and Mrs. Figg both seem to have no spouses. And both their cats are the opposite gender. Coincidence?

And last: my theory. I think that MoM finds out who are Squibs and assigns cats to watch over them so they don't get hurt (because they can't do even the simplest magic).

Your theories?

Hm, I've never thought of it that way but, I'd like to point out, I think every magical animal is intelligent, remember the pet store that Harry visited in PoA? and not to mention Crookshanks also I think that it's highly common to name pets as Mr. or Mrs. these days but I can't quite see MoM assigning pets to suib cause I do not think they care about them, it's almost as if they're consider as muggle, remember Fudge's treatment of Mrs. Figg in the trial? asking if squibs can see Dementor as if they're very different from Witches and Wizards, and I might add I don't have such a happy opinion of the MoM anymore, esp if it's ran under Fudge's decisions.

Oh wow, they are strangely similar. Mabye it's not all squibs, possilby just those two? There may be some signifigance to them in the future (and their cats). I agree with you Dormitorius Draco, I don't like the MoM at all now, or at least not Fudge <--:devil: and his toadies.

Its been brought up before that cats are kind of like seeing eye dogs for he non- magical. I like that theory. I thinlk that its deffinatly true.

I have never thought about that but you do have a point. And remember, according to the Ultimate unofficial guide to the mysteries of Harry Potter, there is no such thing as a coincidence in the Harry potter books.

There definetly seems to be a connection between squibs and cats, but as of what that could be, I am not sure. Hmmm...cats do seem magical, though, don't they? And the fact that professor McGonagall turns into a cat...ah the suspence is too much.

Might be TRUE but what is in them that are different? Is it that squibs have special powers in them that only squibs can do which may be very helpful to the order.

Well they've said that squibs have no powers like wizards/witches do, but mabye they have their own kind of power not yet revealed?

This hit me while I was rereading OotP :) Obviously there is a cat/squib connection, for all the reasons mentioned already in this thread, but I don't think they're Kneazles or Animagi. Kneazles look a bit different than normal cats, I believe, and Animagi are just overused.

I wonder, though, if Squibs are just not entirely non-magical. They're obviously not normal Muggles, and they appear to be able to communicate with or see magical creatures, such as cats (I'm arguing here a cat is a magical creature if it's as intelligent as Mrs. Norris or Mr. Tibbles) or Dementors. I know Harry wasn't sure if Mrs. Figg could actually see the Dementors, but how else would she have been sure they were there? There's also the matter of Filch actually being able to see Hogwarts, despite it looking like a ruin to Muggles.

If the cats were animagi, then why didn't the cat just transform in the now famous dementor scene and save Harry? I bet there's a connection somehow, but exactly what I'm not sure, but I don't buy the Animagi theory...

I don't think the cats are Animagi, but I definitely think there's a connection between cats and Squibs. But, about the Mr/Mrs thing about Filch and Figg, remember: Figg has more than one cat, she has others that Harry had to look at pictures of in the first book.

I've posted a thread about this about a million times but it always gets deleted. Notice this: ARabella FIgg and ARgus FIlch. MoM must send a cat (cats must have some sort of special magical power) to every Squib to protect them, as they can't do magic and are basically vulnerable. Also notice that neither Figg or Filch seems to have a spouse and each cat is the opposite sex. Coincidence? I am 100% sure it's NOT.

P.S. the letters that Figg and Filch share are A-R-F-I. This is an anagram for the word FAIR. Mean anything?

EDIT: Oh, and by the way, the Animagi theory sounds impossible. First off, there were only 7 registered Animagi and I think MoM is smart enough to punish thousands of unregistered cat Animagi runing around. Besides, your Animagus form reflects your personality. How many wizards or witches act like cats, really?

I noticed something else: I was rereading P/SS and I found a pasasage thats something like this: Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny dust coloured cat with bulging , lamp-like eyes just like his...

is that a coincidence or does it mean anything? If every squibs cat has the same eyes.. We can only wait and see

I haven't read previous posts or the original for that matter but I do have an opinion on the simple topic....

I think Cats may have the ability to retain magical properties well, like those clever mice in the pet store we saw in Book 3. Squibs would probably like all the magical help they can get and cats are fun for company and inspiration.

Cats are a more indpendent creature too. They like to think on their own and can problably access a situation and thus act quickly hence Figg's cat running to tell her quickly that Mundungus had gone from his post.

Oh and they are small and not very intruding, and they are a typical muggle world animal for slightly odd people and particularly, old single women. So Ms. Figg wouldn't be an extreme unexpected odd ball in the muggle world, now would she? :)

:) Have a nice day

I like the animagus theory. And plus there are ound to be MANY more un-registered animagi is there are already FOUR(Sirius, Peter, James, and Rita) that Harry knows of. So it is highly possible. Possible that cats are like seeing dogs. Helping Squibbs through the wizarding world.

I just noticed this when I was rereading OoTP, and that is that there are many similarities between Figg and Filch, an extraordinarily many considering that we know little about these characters.

1) They are both Squibs whom Harry has considered to be very annoying sometime or other.

2) They both name their cats by peoples' names : Mrs. Norris, Mr. Tibbles

3)Their cats act as their eyes and appear very intelligent and have personalities. (Mrs. Norris spys on any rulebreakers, and Figg put 'Mr. Tibbles on the case' to watch over Harry over the summer.

Any ideas? I am aware that this might just turn out to be total coincidence, but its fun to speculate.

You might be on to something. Plus both of their initials are A. F. so maybe something will come up with them being related or linked in some way. It could be a coincidence but it really could be something. Good post!

Yes.. Very nice catch... Well have to wait and see i do hope however that we dont see no romance between Figg and filch or thier CATS! ewwwwww..... *shiver*

I thought I had seen this mentioned somewhere before.. humm.. but yeah. Maybe squibs have a thing for their kitties?

Ewww, Dumbledore2905, a romance!!!! That's just disgusting!
But there is a difference, Figg is actually nice, and Filch isn't!

Wow I noticed they were both squibs but none of those other things. I wonder if this will become relevant. JKR said there is more to cats than meets the eye, and something tells me we will be seeing alot more of both characters in future. Yes, the prospect of a romance is kind of sickening, (hehe, i just pictured Filch saying S'up Figgy!) but maybe they're connected in some other way.

Maybe they could be siblings? Filch obviously can't have married anyone, so I am guessing that Figg married Mr. Figg at some point and was widowed. And Filch isn't exactly ancient either; Molly Weasley mentioned a different caretaker when she attended Hogwarts.

What is interesting, whether they have any connection or not, is how they chose to make of their lives. Figg accepted and embraced her identity as a Figg, seeking to make the best of it and even doing what she could in the Order, whereas Filch let bitterness and spite consume him and waged a vendetta of hate against the students and Peeves. Just to show how far different choices can take a person.

I am wondering, if Filch was so upset at Umbridge going, maybe he will retire and Figg can take the post? Would be a lot nicer, certainly.

I think the cats similarity will come up sooner or later, and it was revieled that 'cats are much more to the story than meets the eye' from some JK interview I found on mugglenet. Im interested to see why!

wow! where did you read that interview? Was it just a supposed quote or real interview? I would love to see it!

I doubt they are related. Two squibs in one family would be a bit sad.

The cats though are interesting. I think that they are special cats. They probably do help squibs keep in touvh with the Wizarding world that they can't be a part of. The cat's seem to have some kind of magical ability/intuition that the two squibs lack.

could those cat used to be human once? jinxed? that's something commom in wizarding world, isn't it? turning poeple to cats? harry mentions turning oeple to bats! maybe...

That would be very evil though...to leave them transfigured forever. Not something I expect from one in the Order, but I wouldn't put Filch past it.

Here's a different take on why all squibs may have cats.

In the witch burning days of yesteryear cats were seen as a 'witch's pet' however in HP only squibs have cats as pets (it would seem).

Therefore...the reason we (in our real world) think that all witches have cats is, in fact, because all the 'witches' caught and burned at the stake were in fact squibs. After all, a REAL witch or wizard would be able to avoid detection or escape while a squib would not. Therefore we are under a false impression.

We (or at least our evil forefathers) never burnt an actual witch at the stake, just an unfortunate squib who hung out a bit too much with the real witches and so became associated with witchcraft even though, ironically, they couldn't actually practice magic at all.

Kinda sad really...

crazytaxi: definitely not only squibs have cats, in book 1 Harry could chose between an owl, toad, or cat, and Hermione has a cat.

Here's a different take on why all squibs may have cats.

In the witch burning days of yesteryear cats were seen as a 'witch's pet' however in HP only squibs have cats as pets (it would seem).

Therefore...the reason we (in our real world) think that all witches have cats is, in fact, because all the 'witches' caught and burned at the stake were in fact squibs. After all, a REAL witch or wizard would be able to avoid detection or escape while a squib would not. Therefore we are under a false impression.

We (or at least our evil forefathers) never burnt an actual witch at the stake, just an unfortunate squib who hung out a bit too much with the real witches and so became associated with witchcraft even though, ironically, they couldn't actually practice magic at all.

Kinda sad really...

But don't forget about Wendolyn the Weird who so enjoyed the pleasant tickling sensation of being burned at the stake while using whatever charm it was she used that she allowed herself to be caught and burned at the stake over and over again. In writing his history of magic essay "Witch Burning in the Middle Ages was completely pointless....Discuss" Harry comes across that information.

I think the squibs using Kneazles as seeing-eye-cats is a much more likely scenario, though clearly squibs aren't the only ones to have them as pets, as in the example of Crookshanks, who is most likely Kneazle, or part kneazle.

Fair point about Hermione's cat.

Phoenixsong, I editted my post to mention Wendolyn (because I thought of that after I'd posted!) but for some reason the new post isn't there, gosh darn it. Anyway I think she can prove the theory as well. A REAL witch could get away, a squib couldn't.

Point well taken, crazytaxi. Many witches and wizards seemed to have been burnt at the stake but weren't, but the occasional squib caught in their company might not have been so lucky. But let's hope that their magical friends might have stepped in to rescue them!

Unfortunately, I think that many plain old muggles were burnt as well, not just squibs, because the sheer number of people involved in witch hunts and witch burnings is too great to be exclusive to squibs. Because aren't squibs really rare?

I have always had the feeling that Mrs. Norris is or used to be a person. We still have to find out all of the specifications of death (e.g. ghosts). I've noticed that cats are quite plentiful in the HP series, and many of them are somewhat suspicious. Perhaps JKR will explain in Book 6. :huh:

Wendelin could get away if she wanted to. She enjoyed the tickling of frozen flames. So, "she allowed herself to be caught no less than 47 times in various disguises" (Owl Post, POA). Plus, Squibs cannot do Charms, no matter how simple they may be, so the fact that Wendelin survived and was not burned, speaks to her ability with a wand (something Squibs don't have).

Phoenixsong...yup, lots of muggles burnt too...who owned cats most likely.

I would hope that wizards would help the squibs, but the Ministry wasn't very nice to Figg, they treated her rather like a non-person, or at least a lesser person. The wizarding world does seem to be rife with bigotry doesn't it. Still, I'm sure DD would have helped. :)

I'm sure all this unfair treament of non-wizards if going to bite the Ministry in the bum in book 6 and 7!

Perhaps Squibs have cats (ones with magical powers) as pets purely because they would generally live in a muggle world, therefore some sort of magical creature would draw a fair bit of attention to themselves. whereas a cat would not.
There may be nothing more to it than that.

There has got to be something special about those stinkin cats. There is no possible way that squibs could communicate with their cats unless the cats were magical or the ability to talk to cats was the only magic retained by squibs... ad that would be pretty weird. Mr Tibbles could be named after the british magician Percy Tibbles( who also went by PT Selbit-Tibbles backwards minus a b) who was famous for being the first to do the magic trick of sawing a woman in half. The reason that Mrs Figg and Filch are so bitter is because they are squibs. they basically got shafted at birth. Wouldnt you be bitter if you should have inherited magical powers but randomly didnt? the same goes for Petunia. Shes bitter because her sister had these awesome powers and with them probably a far more intersting life than Petunias and she didnt. Whether or not she is a squib is disputable though because squibs are defined as having magical parents and the Evans' were muggles. Lily was a muggleborn witch but that really has nothing to do with Petunias status. Theres no basis for comparison to see how the situation would be handled because all other muggleborns in the books have no muggle siblings.

I just thought of this recently, actually. In CoS, Mrs. Norris was petrified, implying that she (in human form I'm guessing :huh:) was a mudblood. Do you think this will have any part in the next two books? After all JKR said that CoS was a pivotal book in the series.

I do hope that no one else seriously believes that cats are really humans or that humans are or somehow an animagus....its driving me insane.

I think Mrs Norris was petrified by accident, the Basilisk was really aimed at Filch (as a squib) or else it was just coming out of the toilet to attack a random mudblood. (Wouldn't someone have noticed that Ginny wasn't at the Halloween feast? I think there are a few plot holes in COS.)

They're both cranky....

Well, i am not too sure what to think of the squibs with their cats. It does seem really odd that both of the squibs we know have cats, and both squibs seem to be able to comunicate with their cats. However, i really hope that all the cats aren't animagi, i am really getting sick of that (i do however believe that Crookshanks is an animagi, whether registered or not, i don't know).

But, well, i don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but it seems that cats are mentioned very often, not only crookshanks and Miss. Norris and Mr. Tibbles. I believe it was in GoF after Hary's first dream when he looked outside and he thought to himself that everything was quiet and there was nothing in sight not even a cat. Why would JK put in a cat? why not a rat or something. Admitedly a rat might be hard to spot, but still. It seems to me that JK mentions cats when ever she can, though i have no idea what it means. I think that cats will have a very important role in future books (kinda like Crookshanks in PoA)

I noticed that also how there are references to cats all through out all of the books. Even Ginny is given cat like descriptions.

As for what is going on with the squibs, i have no idea. It does seem that they have a special ability to comunicate with cats, or is it that the cats are all animaguses?

It's not just cats that seem to have extra powers, it's really all pets for wizards. Rats do funny tricks (PA), Phoenixes and owls understand speech (OP, et al) and more. So two of three cat owners we know are squibs but ALL of those cats are much more intelligent than Muggle cats. There is probably a relationship between squibs and cats, but we have seen so few cases that we can't be sure.

Yea, but I saw in a interview in leaky-cauldron ( 2000 I think) that JKR said that there are more to cats than the surface. With all these cat references I am getting very curious, encourgaging me to theorize.

Without giving away any plot details, can you tell us if we might expect to hear any more from Crookshanks in future Harry Potter books? He seems to be a very smart cat!

You're right. He is a very smart cat, and you will be hearing more from him.

That quote is interesting, but perhaps not important...

Is there something more to the cats appearing in the books than first meets the eye? (i.e. Mrs. Figg's cats, Crookshanks, Prof. McGonagall as a cat, etc.)

Ooooo, another good question. Let's see what I can tell you without giving anything away....erm....no, can't do it, sorry.

Also, a person wrote in an article that cats can sense a lie (Mrs Norris I think they were referring to). Also, JKR doesnt like cats...



Mrs Figg
- "The whole house smelled of cabbage, and Mrs Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned" (Tibbles, Snowy, Mr Paws and Tufty)
- Mr sFigg broke her leg by tripping over one of her cats
- "Its just lucky I put Mr Tibbles on the case!"
- "But luckily Id stationed Mr Tibbles under a car just in case, and Mr Tibbles came along and warned me"
- Always has loads of cat food.

Filch & Mrs Norris
- Filch owned a cat called Mrs Norris, a scrawny, dust-coloured creature with bulging lamplike eyes, just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors. Break a rule in front of her, and she'd whisk off for Filch who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later.
- Follows Hagrid everywhere
- "Sniff around my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner" (talks to the cat)
- Ron threw the cloak around them as the luminous eyes of Mrs Norris came round the coor. Ron and Harry stood quite still, both thinking the same thing - did the cloak work on cats? After what seemed like an age, she turned and left.
- "You've killed her! Ill kill you!"
- High pitched meowing
- "Drawn to the spot by the mysterious power that seemed toconnect him with his foul cat
- That vanishing cabinet was extremely valuable" he was saying gleefully to Mrs Norris "We';; have Peeves out this time, my sweet!"
- Mrs Norris lamp-like eyes, so very like her masters, were fixed directly on Harry

Crookshanks
- Ron buckled as something huge and orange came soaring from the top of the highest cage, landed on his head, then propelled itself, spitting at Scabbers.
- The cats ginger fur was thick and fluffy, but it was definatly a bit bow legged and its face looked grumpy and oddly squashed as though it had run headlong into a brick wall.
- Yellow eyes
- it heard me say that Scabbers was in my bag!
- "Hes the most intelligent of his kind Ive ever met. He recognised Peter for what he was straight away...This cat told me Peter had left blood on the sheets
- likes gnomes

Ginny
- Ginny made a noise like an angry cat.
- Ginny plays with Crookshanks a lot in OotP
- cant find any more at the mo...

I found it interesting how Mrs Norris's eyes were described as similar to Filchs.

I think Ginny has cat qualities, but is not currently, an animagus. Nor do I think Crookshanks, Mrs Norris, or Mr Tibbles are Animagi - I doubt JKR would use that again.

I have this theory that Mrs. Norris is really a relative of Filch, probably his sister or his mother. It's said a lot of times that Filch and his cat have the same eyes, and Filch calls her 'my sweet' and such things, and was really upset when he thought she was dead. And Mrs. Norris acts like Filch, patrolling the corridors and all.

I don't know if she's an animagus, or that Filch transfigured her by accident (he's a squib!) and didn't dare to tell anyone. That might be the reason he ordered Kwikspell, so he could transfigure her back. I think that might be a bit far-fetched, because I think Filch would go to Dumbledore for help if he transfigured one of his relatives by accident, but it could be possible...

Ahh I made my post but didnt see this one (I think I misspellled squib in my search).


Anyways, I was thinking that Cats dont only have to do with squibs, but anyone with a complete lack of magic in their family. Hermione for example, being the only character (that we know of) that has 2 muggle parents. She has crookshanks. McGonagal and Hermione have such a strong parallel (Very much by the books on first glance, its who they are. But they both have loyalties to a very brave wizard that causes them to break the by the books sort of manner. Only upon knowing them well can you really tell they arent 100% by the books/studeous and thats all they do), that I would be surprised it McGonagal's parents WERE magic. We know she wasn't pureblood because she wasnt on the family tree. (I know he didnt mention every name on the tree, but Im relatively positive that if "Minerva Mcgonagal" had been there Harry would have noticed). I think that its more symbolic than anything that can be logically explained. A clue for US, not something that they all do as part of a conspiracy. Like in a book where a character is supposed to be pure and they show up in white all the time. The only reason for that is to tell us they are supposed to be pure. I think that any time you see a cat, look for either 2 muggle parents or a squib.

Yes, maybe they ARE kneezles. Maybe wizards don't have other kids of cats. I mean, muggles seldom have toads or owls as pets, but Neville is probably not the only one to own a toad, though it is not popular among kids anymore according to Hagrid in PS, and many students at Hogwarts seem to own their own owls. And Fangs doesn't seem to be an ordinary dog either. Wizards have their own kinds of pets.

This is a really boring idea compared to some of the others on this thread, but perhaps Mrs Figg trains up these cats and gave one to a fellow Squib? Mrs Norris - the name makes it seem that she could have lived with Mr Tibbles once. Of course, in the presence of Filch, even the fluffiest little kitten could turn into a mangy flea-ridden fiend.

Or perhaps there was a magical Mr Figg who did it, and Mrs Figg just keeps the cats now.

I know that a lot of people believe cats are somehow magical. Real cats, I mean, not just the fictional ones. I don't. My cat has many nice qualities but I'm sure he's not magical. But this could be adapted into the series. Perhaps cats are inherently magical, but not enough so that they must be hidden away from Muggle sight. Like owls, I suppose. Or perhaps they're both magical and cunning, which means they find their own ways of not being detected.

We need to be cautious about assuming someone is not Pureblood, simply because they weren't mentioned as being on the tapestry. The Longbottoms weren't mentioned on the Tapestry I don't believe.

It was said that all Pureblood Wizards are related, but, I didn't understand that to mean they're all so closely related that every family is on everyone's family tree. Being a distant cousin is still related, but, you wouldn't expect to see every distant cousin on your family tree.

Cats, even in the real world, do seem to develop a telepathic bond with their favored family member. Cats owned by single people, (or a person living in a family that is favored by a cat) will often be able to detect the mood or emotional needs of their owner, and generally will do what they know how to fulfill those needs.

Ahh, but we also need to be careful about whom we assume arefull blood as well. We have met 2 squibs (that we know of) who both own cats. Not only do they own the cats, but every time their names are mentioned, the cat is either mentioned shortly after, or comes directly to mind. We have 1 muggle born (that we know of) who owns a cat. When I think of Cats and Harry Potter, I think of Hermione, Mrs. Figg, Filch, and McGonagal. JK is big about balancing things out, as well as patterns. That looks (to me) like EITHER:

A. A well balanced pattern. 2 squibs, 2 muggleborns. All have a lack of magic somewhere in their family. Also, they all have a strong connection to cats.

or

B. 2 squibs, a muggleborn, and someone who has a record of magic in her family. No balance, no consistant pattern (McGonagal making a break in the pattern), and all around UN-JK Rowling.

I think that McGonagal's presence on the tapestry would have for sure calssified her as pureblood, and even though the absence doesn't necesarily make her muggle-born, combined with the above it makes a very powerful case. Not to mention the very very strong parallels between her and Hermione.

I think that McGonagal's presence on the tapestry would have for sure calssified her as pureblood, and even though the absence doesn't necesarily make her muggle-born, combined with the above it makes a very powerful case. Not to mention the very very strong parallels between her and Hermione.

But I doubt muggles would have named their daughter "Minerva". It sounds like a witch name to me.

There's a whole thread on the possibility of McGonagall being Muggleborn, but I think there's some good evidence that she isn't - the way she talks about the Dursleys and doesn't know what a sherbet lemon is.

There's a whole thread on the possibility of McGonagall being Muggleborn, but I think there's some good evidence that she isn't - the way she talks about the Dursleys and doesn't know what a sherbet lemon is.

HEHE, I'm completely Muggle, and am unsure exactly what a Sherbert Lemon is (Lemon Drop in the US I believe, but not positive).

I can see certain things about McG that make it entirely believable that she's a Muggleborn, or half blood, but, I think it's just as likely she could be Pureblood in the vein of the Weasleys. Same goes for Dumbledore.

HEHE, I'm completely Muggle, and am unsure exactly what a Sherbert Lemon is (Lemon Drop in the US I believe, but not positive).

Well, brittish muggles should maybe know what sherbet lemons are.

I think we can all pretty much agree that Crookshanks is at least part Kneazle (Or some believe he's an animagus, but the lowest intelligence level would be Kneazle).

So I was wondering, are Mrs. Norris, and Mr. Tibbles the same breed of cat as each other? I ask this because in the real world, I have found that Tuxedo cats seem to be on the top of the intelligence chain. I've never met one that doesn't seem to fluently understand English (Not sure if ones who have masters who speak other languages pick up those languages as well, or maybe English is like a race memory for them), and don't recall seeing a cat of another breed, seeming to be that fluently understanding.

So perhaps, the reason Mrs. Norris and Mr. Tibbles are so smart if because they are both the same breed, and that breed is directly below a Kneazle when it comes to intelligence. (Or could they be full blooded Kneazles? I've never read fantastic Beasts, so I'm not sure what the physical description of a Kneazle is, but, I thought Crookshanks doesn't match the description of one, other than his intelligence)

My friend and I were just discussing this issue (I made her read all the HP books), and we realized that the similarities between Figg and Filch go far beyond the whole liking cats thing. They have similar names and have the same initials (Arabella Fig and Argus Filch), they are both Squibs, and they both have interesting personailities. Perhaps they are relatives?

I don't think we have to connect every cat. Hermione doesn't use Crookshanks like Filch and Mrs Figg use their felines. The relationship isn't the same.

McGonagall might turn into a cat because she has certain cat-like qualities. That's not to say that she digs up flowerbeds and can lick her own feet, but she is as poised and watchful as a cat, certainly. It doesn't mean that she must be connected to Figg's cats or Mrs Norris in anyway.

The ones that really do share similarities, other than by being cats, are those I just mentioned - Mrs Figg's cats and Mrs Norris. They're equipped as all-seeing-eyes by Squibs and they have stupidly cute names.

Oh, and I don't think every cat in the series is going to turn out to be a Kneazle. I mean, how many can there be? Besides, Kneazles don't look exactly like cats.

Lupinsgrl, there isn't a character in the series who doesn't have an interesting personality.

I know there is a lot of buzz going around that there is some relationship between squibs and their "pets." I happen to agree that there is definitely some connection, but I don't think that these pets are actually animagi. I know that this is going to sound ridiculous, but what if squibs' pets are actually linked to them in some way? More so than a pet would be to a magical owner. I'm suggesting that it might be a kind of gift that they have because they don't have magical powers. Their pets are like a part of their very being.

I'd been thinking about this topic lately and formed my own ideas on it, so I went to see what others were saying about this topic of cats and squibs. So, I've just gone and read this whole thread.

My thoughts on it really aren't very complicated, so there might be more to it, but I think the big thing is just that cats can talk. I have a feeling that all the magic here is within the cats...not the squibs. I think the cats in the magical world can actually talk and they can talk to anyone they like, but they have chosen to only talk to squibs. For some reason, they like squibs. Maybe they feel squibs are less intimidating or something, I don't know.

I mean, Figg says that Mr. Tibbles came and warned her that Mundungus had left. I think Mr. Tibbles just told her what happened.

Also, (and I know most people will disagree with this, because it goes against the mainstream idea) but, it seems to me that when Filch bursts in on Harry in the Owlery saying he got a tip-off that Harry was ordering Dungbombs, it was Mrs. Norris that told him that, not Umbridge. Just look at it. When Harry was on his way to the Owlery, Mrs. Norris brushes past him and "she had the unmistakable air of a cat that was off to report to her boss..." even though Harry didn't know what he was doing wrong by heading to the Owlery. Well, I think Mrs. Norris was presuming he was going to the Owlery to order Dungbombs, so she went directly to Filch to tell him. When Harry and Cho asked him who told him they were ordering Dungbombs, he just said "I have my sources." Filch wouldn't tell them it was actually Mrs. Norris. I mean, that's what Mrs. Norris does. She patrols the school and if she sees the students doing anything wrong or anything she finds fishy, she goes and reports it to Filch. I think that's the easiest explanation of that scene, personally.

Anyway, my real point is I think that the fact squibs and cats can communicate is due to the magic of the cats and not any magic of squibs, persay. Cats talk to squibs is what's important here, I think...not really that squibs can somehow magically understand cats. Does that make sense?

But, I don't know. That's just my take on it. :shrug:

But I'm sure that there are other Squibs without cats. Just as there are wizards without owls...

We need to meet more squibs before we can generalise like that.

I'm sorry if my post was confusing. I know there are probably Squibs without cats. I wasn't generalizing that, persay. I was just commenting that I think the cats can talk, but they only prefer to talk to Squibs. Some cats belong to wizards. There are a few students mentioned to have cats that they own. But, I think maybe those cats just choose not to talk to their masters. Does that make sense?

Actually, my opinion is that there aren't any Squibs without cats. There may be a few that the Ministry can't keep tabs on, but all registered Squibs I think have cats as "gaurdians". I think cats in the HP book have powers we don't know about. Unless the "cats" Squibs have are actually Kneazles, which do have certain powers.

Has anyone noticed that in PS Harry describes Mrs. Figgs cats as "Tibbles" and "Mr. Paws" (and then there are a few more without Mr. or Mrs.). I thought Tibbles was actually a "Mr."? Probably just a small "Flint" by JKR, or something more...?

Well they probably can communicate w/ their cats because they're different from cats in the muggle world. In the 3rd book when the woman in the shop was discussing the differences between magical rats nad then regular rats, maybe the same holds to cats. And the squibs probably got them from their magical family... hm... just a theory.

hi, i just thought i'd update this thread. we know know that crookshanks is part-kneazle, i think it says that somewhere on jkrowlings website. anyhoo, do you think Filch's cat Mrs norris might be a kneazle too? it would definatley explain why she is so loyal to him.

I think Arabella Figg is Argus Filch's sister.

I always thought there was something weird about cats in the book. It makes sense that there is some connection between squibs and cats, Filch and Mrs. Figg both have cats and are both squibs.

Isn't JKR herself a real cat person?

I think the cats and/or kneazles in the books are just extraordinarily smart like the owls are. Magical pets just seem to be very smart and very loyal. But I do like the idea that cats for squibs are like seeing eye dogs for the blind.

Isn't JKR herself a real cat person?
Nope, she's allergic to them, like Hagrid. :p

As I was rereading OotP, I was also struck by the fact that both Mrs. Figg and Filch have rather intelligent cats that are named like humans (with the Mr. and the Mrs. before their name). However, the fact that they are named thus could have no significance whatsoever- I used to have a goldfish named Mr. Fish.

I don't think Mrs. Norris or any of Mrs. Figg's cats are Animagi; as someone said, that would be repetitive of JK, and we would be tired of something like that after being introduced to Peter Pettigrew. Nor do I think all of these cats are part Kneazle like Crookshanks. But I do like the idea of cats being like seeing eye dogs for Squibs. It's also possible that cats are like natural animal companions for Squibs. However, without hearing about additional Squibs, it would be impossible to tell.

Another thing- when Mrs. Figg says Mr. Tibbles came and warned her when she'd stationed him under a car, I don't think the cat necessarily spoke to Mrs. Figg. Nor do I think the cats actually communicate anything spoken to their owners. I would imagine they merely alert their owners simply by their presence. With Mrs. Norris, she runs to Filch whenever she sees a student misbehaving and probably leads Filch to wherever they are. The same is probably true of Mr. Tibbles' warning: he probably kept a look-out from underneath the car and ran to get Mrs. Figg when things went wrong. Based on this, I have to agree that these cats must be magical in some way to be intelligent enough to understand and act upon their owners' instructions.

I've always wondered if the cats could communicate with their owners. It's mentioned many times that when Mrs. Norris spots trouble, she runs off to get Filch and he's there in an instant. Seems weird. I know he could simply see her and she seems aggitated and follows her, but it's like they communicate. Also, has anyone else picked up that it's mentioned that Filch and Mrs. Norris have the same eyes? I'm doing my summer re-reads now and have read that a few times. Probably nothing, but interesting just the same.

I always thought there was something weird about cats in the book. It makes sense that there is some connection between squibs and cats, Filch and Mrs. Figg both have cats and are both squibs.Where does this theory lead Petunia then, she has no cats and therefore according to this theory can not be a squib, maybe she is the late bloomer that JKR talks about.

Where does this theory lead Petunia then, she has no cats and therefore according to this theory can not be a squib, maybe she is the late bloomer that JKR talks about.

Here's the quote about the "late blooming witch/wizard". The quote shows that the person didn't have to be a squib to begin with, it seems more to be a one-time "burst of magic" if you will. :)

Q - Will there be, or have there been, any "late blooming" students in the school who come into their magic potential as adults, rather than as children? By the way, I loved meeting you, and hearing you speak, when you came to Anderson's in Naperville. I can hardly wait until you tour again.

Ahhh! I loved the event at Anderson's. It was one of my favorites. That is completely true. No, is the answer. In my books, magic almost always shows itself in a person before age 11; however, there is a character who does manage in desperate circumstances to do magic quite late in life, but that is very rare in the world I am writing about.

So, Petunia could still be a muggle and manage to pull of the magic. Or, it could be that squibs have a special connection with cats, but there's no reason all squibs have to have a cat. Does that make sense? :)

maybe squibs can cumunicate with each other through the cats like teleapthy.

I think that each squib gets a cat at birth and the cats can cumunicate with the owners to keep them safe I think this because it seems really weird that all the time a student is out of bed or breaking rules and Mrs Norris is near Filch turns up 5 seconds later so I think that Mrs Norris uses some telepathic like power to cumuneicate with Filch. I also think this because they love there cats really badly and don't let any think happen to them like in Chamber of secrets Filch was devistated when Mrs Norris got petrified. Mrs Figg also seems obsesd with them because when Harry used to go to her house she bored him with long talks about her old cats so she must hav had a few.

Also I think that squibs can cumunicte with each other through the cats because every squib seems to have a cat. Tell me what you think?


Also is this just a coinsedece or do all squibs have the initials A.F? because the two squibs that we know of do (Argus Filch/Arabella Figg)

Cats were/are viewed as magical creatures. In ancient egypt, cats were a symbol of the gods, so cats were revered and kept. As for squibbs, i think they keep cats because of their magical intuations (they say cats can see ghosts, etc.) Since they are without any magical powers themselves. I think more lies in store for the connection between cats and squibbs in the next two books, and also there are some H.P. books that analyze everything you could try reading.

Mrs Figg's house smelled of Cabbages..... :eyebrows:

And Argus Filch and Arabella Figg have the same initials. :whistle:

Someone earlier noted Mrs. Norris follows Hagrid around.

If Mrs. Norris is part Kneazle, and Kneazles have an ability to detect unsavory or suspicious characters (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), does that mean Hagrid is doing something suspicious?

Awww! I've been on holiday for three weeks and I was going to start two new threads when I got back home, Squibs and cats and Aberforth Dumbledore the Hogs Head barman, but it looks like quite a few people have spotted these revelations.

I don't think Hagrid was being suspicious, Mrs Norris was just taking orders from Filch, just like when Sirius got Crookshanks to get Neville's common room passwords

AF and AF, wow Filth and the Figgster have more than I thought in common, this is really wierd, we must be on to something!

Isn't JKR herself a real cat person?
Nope, which is not a good thing to me, but that's another story. However, there was one cat she saw walking around her work or something that she got interested in, maybe even a little found of, and that cat is the origin of the character of Crookshanks.

Maybe this is a little off topic, but I just wondered why there are so few cats at Hogwarts (students may bring them to school). Hermione owns a cat/kneazle named Crookshanks--is it because Hermione is muggleborn that she fails to instruct him? I don't recall Crookshanks warning Hermione about anything (did help with the Whomping Willow and did try to "get" Scabbers/Pettigrew) or trying to get her to follow him. [Hermione speculated that Millicent Bulstrode had a cat, but we never saw it.] Ginny is a cat lover (according to Ron), but she doesn't bring the family cat to school (the Weasleys have at least one, and that one likes to wear clothes!).

It is a little odd that the first mention of Figg's cats does not give Tibbles the title "Mr." From PS/SS: "it would be a whole year before he [Harry] had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again." What are the rest of Mrs. Figg's cats doing, especially Mr. Paws? Which cat did she trip over when she broke her leg?
I agree with others on this thread that Squibs have cats to help connect them with the wizarding world as cats have a somewhat magical background. They certainly were connected with witches during the middle ages (especially black cats), although their magical connection goes back much further (Egypt).

AF and AF, wow Filth and the Figgster have more than I thought in common, this is really wierd, we must be on to something!And we know that polyjuice can change gender because Crouch Jr and his mother polyjuiced each other. :agree: Mrs Figg's house always smelled of cabbages.

Wonder if it works on squibs.

i think you're all onto something... but why couldn't mrs. norris be a kneazle, too?

really, it more of a coincidence eh? Filch we meet in the 1st book, but I don't remember much about Figg until the 5th. In the Muggle world, there are lots of crazy old cat ladies, but not really any crazy old ferret or dog ladies. So cats would be a more likely persona to be found in a modern day neighborhood.

There are hints about initials, though. Stubby Boardman and Sirius Black have the same initials. So do Peter Pettigrew and Piers Polkiss, though they are different generations. :huh:

They do have a lot in common.. though even if Mrs. Norris followed Hagrid around, Crookshanks has no problem with him

As for the initial things.. we could be getting somewhere

I don't know if Mrs. Figg actually tripped over a cat when she broke her leg.. it could have had to do with something completely different, because if cats are as magical as we're getting at, what're the chances she'd trip over one.

Also Mrs. Figg.. emphasis on the Mrs., who's her husband

I also saw a similarity in Mr. Weasley's partner Perkins, one of the tents he lent them smelled of cats..

I don't know if Mrs. Figg actually tripped over a cat when she broke her leg.. it could have had to do with something completely different, because if cats are as magical as we're getting at, what're the chances she'd trip over one.


From p. 39 PS/SS: Harry is at Mrs. Figg's while Petunia and Dudley are out getting his Smeltings uniform. "Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before." We don't know which cat, though.

but it also could have been a cover-up for something.. like she's not going to tell Mr. and Mrs. Dursley that she say broke her leg doing something involving the wizarding community like work for Dumbledore or something..

Also the squibs must have some magical connection with their cats because sometimes Filch shows up where Mrs. Norris is without Mrs. Norris having to go fetch him.. particularly whenever she mews

I think Mrs. Norris is an animagus, and is Filch's wife/girlfriend

Maybe this is a little off topic, but I just wondered why there are so few cats at Hogwarts (students may bring them to school). Hermione owns a cat/kneazle named Crookshanks--is it because Hermione is muggleborn that she fails to instruct him? I don't recall Crookshanks warning Hermione about anything (did help with the Whomping Willow and did try to "get" Scabbers/Pettigrew) or trying to get her to follow him. [Hermione speculated that Millicent Bulstrode had a cat, but we never saw it.]

Crookshanks warned Sirius about things going on. Even stole Neville's password list. I guess wizard cats are not ordinary cats. Course I still don't understand why Filch shows up, even at times Mrs. Filch doesn't go get him.


Also Mrs. Figg.. emphasis on the Mrs., who's her husband

Good point, also thought your idea on Perkins was interesting as well.

Also is this just a coinsedece or do all squibs have the initials A.F? because the two squibs that we know of do (Argus Filch/Arabella Figg)


I highly doubt this is that case, as then all magical families with a last name beginning with "F" would simply choose a different first initial for thier child :))

I've been looking for a thread like this everywhere! I personally think that these cats are kneazles or half-kneazles like Crookshanks. I wonder how they communicate as well, but remember that Sirius (Sirius, may he rest in peace :sad: ) was able to communicate with Crookshanks as well. It must be a kneazle thing, and their Squib owners are able to communicate with them because they are sensitive to magical stuff (just because they can't do it, doesn't mean they can't see it or whatever).

If I were a Squib, I think I'd want an animal that was part-kneazle or even full kneazle to help me with things. Both Mr. Tibbles and Mrs. Norris are extremely helpful to their owners, you know?

In Philosopher's Stone, it's mentioned that Harry usually goes to Mrs. Figg's house to look at photos of her cats. Is it possible that Mrs. Figg used to breed kneazles? If that's the case maybe she knows Filch and gave him one. Do Squibs ever go to Diagon Alley? It doesn't seem like it. We know Muggles go (Hermione's parents), but for some reason no Squibs.

Neddle, that's very interesting! If they are siblings who on earth would their parents be though? Filch is not nice, but Figg is a good person.

If she's a Mrs. Figg, there must have been a Mr. Figg somewhere. I wonder if he was a muggle or not.

Oh, someone mentioned the fact that there are unregistered animagi. I secretly think that there's many unregistered animagi than we ever know. If Peter Pettigrew, of all people could do it, I'm very sure that other talented wizards could do it. So maybe some of Mrs. Figgs cats were animagi. I don't think Mr. Filch's could be though. Someone might notice. (Then again, maybe not. No one figured out Scabbers).

How long have they had their cats? And where did they get the cats?

There has been an update on JKR's site today, answering various questions relating to both Mrs. Figg, Filch and Squibs. Here are some interesting things about them that may or may not be important:

About Squibs:
-Born to at least one magical parent.
-They are rare.
-They don't attend Hogwarts
-Are doomed to live a half-life, as they can never truly immerse in the world of their parents
-Are the opposite of Muggle-borns
-Have access to certain magical objects and creatures that help them

About Figg:
-Apparently Mrs. Figg trades cross-bred cats and Kneazles (hence why she has so many in her house)
-No, she didn't see the Dementors attack Harry and Dudley. According to JKR she just had enough magical knowledge to correctly identify the sensations they created on the alleyway. (this means she lied to the Wizengamot court)
-Operates as Dumbledore liaison between the magical and muggle worlds

About Filch:
-His Kwikspell course never worked
-We are informed that we should feel sorry for Filch...

Ohh, that's interesting! Thanks for sharing.

Hmmm..why should we feel sorry for Filch? Because he's a squib or is there something more? I wonder what his reception will be this coming school year since he so clearly aligned himself with Umbridge last year.

I can't wait to find that out. :huh:

The amigus theory is interesting but I don't think it's true. On her website JK said Croookshanks is NOT a cat but a magical creature and you could find what he is in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them I don't have the book so I can't look it up but maybe this is what the squibs cats are

Crookshanks is of mixed breed. Part cat and pert kneazle. And now Jo has informed us that Arabella Figg is breeding and trading them. So also Mr Tibbles is probably part kneazle. Seems likely that Mrs Norris is one too.

Mrs. Figg, in Philosopher's Stone (pg. 22 Canadian Raincoast) has Harry viewing her pictures of "every cat" she's ever owned. Harry is happy that he can go to Dudley's birthday trip instead of looking at pictures of cats.

Is there some ulterior motive for Mrs.Figg? Does she want Harry to know the cats for a reason? And is Mrs. Norris in Figg's photo album of cats?

(And maybe off topic, but Perkins tent smells like cats.)

Kneazles are intelligent animals. That's why many people think they might be Animagus. They are Magical Creatures, so they have some intreresting qualities. They can be 'mixed' with cats.
We already know Crookshanks is a cat/kneazle. Apparently MrsFigg's cats are too.
BTW, MrsFigg's cats are MrTibbles, Snowy, MrPaws and Tufty. Not all of them have people's names...
I never noticed it before, but MrsFigg is a Mrs. So she was married... What about her family? Is her husband dead? Was/Is he a wizard? Did she have any children? ???

(And maybe off topic, but Perkins tent smells like cats.)
From the Goblet of Fire:
Oddly enough, it [Perkins tent] was furnished in exactly the same sort of style as Mrs. Figg's house: There were crocheted covers on the mismatched chairs and a strong smell of cats.
It seems to have a connection there... Perkins and MrsFigg. Are they related? Well, at least they have the same taste... :)

Interesting, isn't it? :eyebrows:

It seems to have a connection there... Perkins and MrsFigg. Are they related? Well, at least they have the same taste... :)
I seem to remember suggesting long ago that Figg and Perkins had an affair and used to go camping together. :D

Maybe Perkins was Mrs Figg's maiden name and Perkins is her brother.

I seem to remember suggesting long ago that Figg and Perkins had an affair and used to go camping together. :D
:lol: That's a funny thought! :lol:


Maybe Perkins was Mrs Figg's maiden name and Perkins is her brother.
This is more plausible, but not as funny... :D

I'd take a note on that brother/sister thing. I think you might be right. :)

Arabella Doreen Figg

Her name is mentioned during Harry's hearing at the Wizengamot Court...
That would be her maiden name, right: Doreen.
So, no connections with Perkins... Not brother/sister.
Maybe cuisins? :)

I think Doreen is a first name. So it's her middle name, not her maiden name. Like Harry's name is Harry James Potter.

I think Doreen is a first name. So it's her middle name, not her maiden name. Like Harry's name is Harry James Potter.
I hope so... Is it Doreen a common firt name?
If it is, the brother/sister theory is still up.
Not that it would mean anything...

I'm feeling kinda down today... Too hot in here! My blood pressure goes all the way down...

Doreen is common in some places. Arabella is the name of a daylily. Could she be connected to Lily Potter?

Or can someone anagram Arabella Doreen Figg?

I admit I've been going around updating threads with JKR's new info on her site!!!

Her extra stuff section has new stuff to say about squibs, here's the quote, with the cats importance all bolded up nicely: :)

J.K.Rowling Official Site

Section: Extra Stuff

SQUIBS

I have been asked all sorts of questions about Squibs since I first introduced the concept in ‘Chamber of Secrets’. A Squib is almost the opposite of a Muggle-born wizard: he or she is a non-magical person born to at least one magical parent. Squibs are rare; magic is a dominant and resilient gene.

Squibs would not be able to attend Hogwarts as students. They are often doomed to a rather sad kind of half-life (yes, you should be feeling sorry for Filch), as their parentage often means that they will be exposed to, if not immersed in, the wizarding community, but can never truly join it. Sometimes they find a way to fit in; Filch has carved himself a niche at Hogwarts and Arabella Figg operates as Dumbledore’s liaison between the magical and Muggle worlds. Neither of these characters can perform magic (Filch’s Kwikspell course never worked), but they still function within the wizarding world because they have access to certain magical objects and creatures that can help them (Arabella Figg does a roaring trade in cross-bred cats and Kneazles, and if you don‘t know what a Kneazle is yet, shame on you). Incidentally, Arabella Figg never saw the Dementors that attacked Harry and Dudley, but she had enough magical knowledge to identify correctly the sensations they created in the alleyway.
Found at JKRowling.com (http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=19).

That's simply brilliant! Figg sells Filch a half kneazle. Maybe the kneazle/cats sort of pick up on their owners wishes and personality. I guess you could train Mrs. Norris to be a martinet of rule breaking; just as Crookshanks picks up on Hermione's "enemy". Maybe Mrs. Figg's dead husband was an old school friend of Dumbledore's. And when Dumbledore hired Filch he got Filch in contact with Old Figgy. Afterall, a castle the size of Hogwarts is difficult to patrol alone.

p.s. I'd like to buy one from Figgy's "roaring trade". It could keep my students from cheating. You'd all be in trouble... :evil:

I thought it is interesting both known squibs have the same initials AF, Filch & Figg.

I love the idea about a cat acting as a squib's "seeing-eye dog" ! To me it makes so much sense! Although I can't see the cat being an animagus, I mean really, it would be very uncomfortable to stay in animagus form for so long when you really are a witch or wizard (Peter Pettigrew only stayed in animagus form for 13 or so years because he had too). But it's kind of funny though isn't it? Why cats? I mean besides the obvious connection between cats and witches, what kind of importance, if any, could there be?

compared to all other animals in the wizarding world that are kept as pets such as cats, toads, rat and owl. Cats seem to be the most widely accepted by muggles, so i think this is the reason why squibs keep cats.

This is something I did search for (ain't I a clever boy) and though there was a similar thread about squibs and cats this wasn't covered.

Just wondering, but how do you think mrs Norris and Figg's cats talk to their owners? Can they talk? Can they use telapathy? I mean, they must, for Norris to tip off Filch and Figg directly says Mr.Tibbles told her about Harry.

And, on top of that, can crookshanks use said powers?

And, weirder, if my brother's cat could talk, would he be throwing death threats at me? :scared:

Cat's are supposed to be psychic, and since Muggles can have psychic powers, I'l bet Squibs can too. In fact, with their lack of magical ability, maybe squibs are more psychic than the muggle....
But why so they have a thing for cats? Why don't squibs like dogs?

I think at least Mrs. Norris might be a Kneazle.
This very intelligent cat-like creature can detect unsavory or suspicious persons very well and will react badly to them. However, if a kneazle takes a liking to a witch or wizard, it makes an excellent pet. The kneazle has spotted fur, large ears, and a lion-like tail
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/bestiary/bestiary_h-m.html#Kneazle
We don't know that much about Mrs. Norris appearence. She just described as "dust colored with lamp-like yellow eyes" but perhaps she also have big ears and tail.

Maybe because cats can conceal themselves better being so much smaller. Also I find (having both a dog and cats in my home) cats to be much quieter and sneakier than their canine pals.

We don't know that much about Mrs. Norris appearence. She just described as "dust colored with lamp-like yellow eyes" but perhaps she also have big ears and tail.

Well she doesn't have to have the ears and tail, she could be a half-breed like I think crookshanks is and those particular features weren't carried on to her.

From JKR's site:
Arabella Figg does a roaring trade in cross-bred cats and Kneazles, and if you don't know what a Kneazle is shame on you" (JKR's site: Extra Stuff: SQUIBS)
We can then surmise that her cats are indeed either whole- or part-Kneazle. I have a feeling that Kneazles can communicate with the one that they attatch themselves to. Crookshanks attatched himself to Sirius, I think, not Hermione, because Sirius said that Crookshanks took the order for the Firebolt to the Owl Office for him. We know that Crookshanks is part Kneazle (JKR said so...)... Just some speculation... feedback welcome!

3 days.

~fenestra

Mrs. Norris's descrition tends to remind me of a bobcat... they have fairly large ears, don't they? Anyways.

I think the question has basically been answered-- most of them are likely to be at least part kneazle, who seem to be more intelligent (and magical) than ordinary cats, and seem to bond to one person, with whom they can communicate.

From JKR's site:

We can then surmise that her cats are indeed either whole- or part-Kneazle. I have a feeling that Kneazles can communicate with the one that they attatch themselves to. Crookshanks attatched himself to Sirius, I think, not Hermione, because Sirius said that Crookshanks took the order for the Firebolt to the Owl Office for him. We know that Crookshanks is part Kneazle (JKR said so...)... Just some speculation... feedback welcome!

3 days.

~fenestra
I like that theory a lot. It makes a ton of sense. Why didn't Crookshanks bond with Hermione though? In fact, he seems to like Harry more than Hermione. I wonder why this is.

I wouldn't think that they'd neccesarily bond with their "owner." Perhaps he sensed that Sirius (who Crookshanks seemed to communicate with) and Harry were close.

How do squib's cats talk to them?

Probably the way my cats talk to me: Jumping on my chest at 5:30 in the morning, meowing and batting at my face until I am herded, half-asleep, to the bowl to pour more food.

It seems like a lot of Kneazles if Crookshanks, Mrs. Norris, and Figgy's cats are all Kneazle or part-Kneazle.

So what about normal cats? I wonder if they can communicate with Squibs too. My guess is yes, but not in words. Hey, cats seem really intelligent, and they can communicate without words, so maybe Squibs or people with magic are better at understanding what they're thinking? My cats are usually saying, "Pet me," "I wanna play," "Don't pet me," "Not right now, maybe later when I decide to be around people." It's pretty obvious sometimes, and maybe with Squibs they can be more specific.

Well however it is... Cats are awesome!! :D

squibs might have some kind of magic thing about them that does give them an ability telepathically...but then crookshanks attached himself to sirius, so its probably an ability a kneazle obtains with its chosen owner..i guess

I think squibs and their cats communicate using telepathy.

Perhaps Hermoine's cat doesn't communicate with her directly because she's not ready for that kind of contact yet. I imagine that Crookshanks will talk to her when he needs to.

I think squibs and their cats communicate using telepathy.
Exactly. Lacking in real magic, I think that Squib's are given as a consulation a power over cats to communicate with them and to control them to do their bidding. I bet if we see more Squibs in the future, we will see more cats. As for Crookshanks, I think that he is just a remarkably intelligent cat, maybe she was once owned by a Squib.

err... right :P crookshanks and all the cats squibs ar elikely to own are part beast. look it up in magical beasts and where to find them.

I don't think they are registered with the Ministry.. it's just kept on record in the Ministry possibly, nothing but a log.

I was wondering about all the cats in the series. JKR says that there's more to them that meets the eye...

We know Crookshanks is part Kneazle. What about Mrs. Norris? Is there a creature in Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them that detects "suspicious" and "mischievous" things like Mrs. Norris seems to do?

Why do Squibs seem to favor cats? Why not dogs or turtles or something?

I think cats have magical powers that squids do not. That's why I think they keep them around.

also, arabella figg and argus filch have the same first 2 letters in there first and last names, ar and fi. arfi? maybe its just coincidence, but maybe not!

I was wondering about all the cats in the series. JKR says that there's more to them that meets the eye...

We know Crookshanks is part Kneazle. What about Mrs. Norris? Is there a creature in Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them that detects "suspicious" and "mischievous" things like Mrs. Norris seems to do?

Why do Squibs seem to favor cats? Why not dogs or turtles or something?I think Mrs. Norris is also probably half-Kneazle, given her intelligence and general suspicion.

I also wonder about her ability to communicate with Filch--they seem to have more of a human-to-human connection than pet-to-master bond. Maybe she's a full-blooded Kneazle (I also once came up with the bizarre idea that Mrs. Norris was once a person, but was somehow permanently transfigured into a cat).

As for cats, I think Squibs favor cats because of their ability to breed with Kneazles comes in handy--I would suspect a half-breed as being more docile than a full-blooded Kneazle. Plus, I'm sure they're easy to disguise as common housecats, and their immense sensitivity to magic probably helps Squibs stay in the loop, so to speak.

well this may be psychotic and doesn't even have the chance, i've always personally thought that mr. tibbles and mrs. norris were animagis, that's a possibility, right? i mean, mrs. norris is awfully smart for a cat...

I don't think a Squib would be registered at the Ministry, but it is pretty interesting about the cats. It is strange that Mrs.Figg and Filch both have cats, but they could just be normal cats. I don't know. Plus, Mrs.Figg and Filch are the only Squibs that we know of, from what I have noticed.

I think that Squibs are lonely because they are rejected within the Wizard society. (Main Reason: they are born with no magical powers)
We normally associate lonely people with cats, usually they have hundreds... that is why I think that Arabella Figg and Argus Filch have cats, because they considered to be rejected, they are lonely and they have no other company.

Maybe Kneazles are like the seeing eye dogs of the Magical Community... they help detect things that Squibs can't because they can't use or sense magic while Kneazles can.

cats are cool.

Cats are cute and fuzzy, and squibs need fuzzy stuff because of the lack of an important phase in their infancy: fuzzyness. The moms paid all the attention to the wizard sibling, and didn't hug the squib as much, so now they are compensating for that lack by getting soft and furry kneazles/kitties, etc. :D

It seems that all squibs are given magical cats. Not only that, they have human names. Could it be that squibs are given registered animagi?

Pros of theory:
Harry has always thought Mrs. Norris had powers.

Mr. Tibbles and Mrs. Norris. Do those not sound like human names?

Cons of theory:

There are only 7 (I think) registered animagi this century, and McGonagall's one of them. Can there really be that few squibs.(Maybe. Didn't Ron say it was pretty rare?)

Are Squibs even registered with the minestry? Figg said something to the effect that they weren't.

Anyone have anything to add?

Wow, thats a very good theory. I didn't even think of that. Well, I have nothing to add, but I still think that is something to think about.

Cats have always been seen as traditional witch familiars, meaning that they are more powerful or have some kind of secret power that we don't know about. Perhaps Squibs are given cats or cats find them to help them deal with their lack of magical powers.

Okay, I didn't want to wade through 10 pages of this, so I hope this hasn't been said already. It's pretty far out, don't flame: Arabella Figg is Mrs. Norris and Argus Filch is Mr. Tibbles. It seems to be just to perfect. Maybe Mrs. Norris' petrifying in CoS has something to do with that.

another thing how many cays have we seen Mcgonagall, Mr tibbles and Mrs norris, crookshanks,any more?

I think that sqibs are attacted to cats because they are more magical than other house hold pets.

Having read this thread, last page only, it has struck me that the only two squibs we know of both have cats, and both are given a surname title, i.e., Mr and Mrs.

Really, how many of us who have cats actually call our cats by a surname? I never have, my cats always have human names - like my current cat is called Angus and the previous one was Chloe, but I would never think of calling it Mrs/Mr Whatever.

I have nothing more to add, no opinion of my own, but yes, an interesting thread!!!